The reasons for student drop outs varies widely, but with some more preventable than others, it is frustrating that almost 7,000 high school students drop out per day according to Do Something.
Students can drop out for many specific reasons, but they all fall under one of three categories. The first category is pushed out, which is when the student’s behavior does not reach the school standards.
Another category is pulled out, which is when a personal reason outside of school is more urgent than a high school education, for example needing to bring in another income.
The final category that can cause a student to terminate their high school career is falling out, which is when a student drops out due to emotional reasons such as feeling out of place.
According to Dropout Prevention, of these three reasons, the pushed out factors outweigh both the pull out and the falling out factors.
Some more specific push out factors include: missing too many school days, not being able to keep up with school work, or failing to meet the academic standards set by the school.
All of these situations can lead to schools labeling the student as troubled, and someone who is hindering the success of the school overall, and in many cases are subtly forced to drop out.
Although forcing a student to drop out of school can make life easier for the people around that student, there are other repercussions of these actions.
Epi Online states that although the unemployment rates have decreased in the past years, the unemployment rate of the population that does not have a high school diploma still remains much higher at 14.5 percent.
A free high school education is a right that everyone is entitled to, and it should not be taken away easily. It is important to take behavioral measures if the student is truly not applying themselves in a way that makes them successful, but the students future should be considered.
With the unemployment rates higher than those with a high school diploma, it is important that students are not encouraged to drop out of high school when the best route is to get their diploma so that they are on track for a more successful life.